Comic Art Friday: Krypton Comet

Not too long ago, my friend Damon asked me how close I am to completing my Bombshells! project — my ongoing series of commissioned drawings featuring heroines from the Golden Age of comics (defined for the purposes of this project as any character who made her debut prior to 1960) in pinups modeled after vintage bomber nose art.

I told Damon that I’m nowhere close to the end. My Bombshells! to-do list still has another 64 heroines on it, and I probably haven’t unearthed all of the possible candidates as yet. Many of the names are obscure, but I still have a few that would be recognized by most knowledgeable comics buffs.

They don’t come more recognizable than this.

Supergirl devotee that I am, I was saving the Maid of Steel’s Bombshells! appearance for just the right artist. I don’t believe I could have made a better choice than Steve “The Dude” Rude, best known as the creator (with writer Mike Baron) of the long-running series Nexus. Rude’s retro style, influenced by such comic art legends as Jack Kirby and Alex Toth, suits Bombshells! wonderfully. His rendition of Supergirl could easily have appeared on a 1950s DC Comics cover.

The tagline used here is my inside joke to other Supergirl fans. In her earlier days, Supergirl was noteworthy for her menagerie of super-pets, including Streaky the Super-Cat and a flying Super-Horse named Comet. Rude took my idea and ran with it, depicting Kara Zor-El astride her missile just as she used to ride her beloved Comet.

I never quite understood why Supergirl would enjoy riding a flying horse when she’s perfectly capable of flying under her own power. But hey — that’s comics for you.